Egypt sets trial date for Peter Greste and Al Jazeera colleagues

Australian journalist Peter Greste has been in detention since December 29.

Twitter: @PeterGreste

Egypt has set a trial date for Australian journalist Peter Greste and his two Al Jazeera colleagues, who have been been accused backing the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood.

The three men were referred to Egypt's criminal court last month, along with 17 other journalists who were also named in the indictment.

The first day of the trial will be held on February 20.

The Egyptian government has accused Greste and his colleagues of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which was declared a terrorist organisation in late December.

The Al Jazeera team is accused of having links to a "terrorist organisation", portraying Egypt in a state of civil war and "airing false news".

Egypt's authorities also accuse them of working without a permit.

Greste's employer, Al Jazeera, has denied all charges against its staff and demanded their "unconditional release", spearheading a worldwide campaign calling for their freedom.

Last week, Al Jazeera said it was served with a list of 20 people being pursued by the Egyptian government, but less than half of those named were on its staff.

Those on trial are 16 Egyptians and four foreigners - including Greste, Britons Sue Turton and Dominic Kane, and Dutch journalist Rena Netjes, who had reported from Cairo after the toppling of former president Mohamed Morsi.

They are accused of "collaborating with the Egyptians by providing them with money, equipment, information... and airing false news aimed at informing the outside world that the country was witnessing a civil war".

They have also been charged with belonging to a "terrorist organisation... and harming national unity and social peace".

The others named were Egyptian producers and engineers working for the network in Qatar.

Of the 20, only eight are in detention - including Greste and Al-Jazeera English's Cairo bureau chief, Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Adel Fahmy.

Greste, Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were arrested on December 29 at their makeshift office in a Cairo hotel.

Fahmy, a well-known journalist in Cairo who previously worked with CNN, has no known ties with the Brotherhood.

Greste formerly worked for the BBC and won the prestigious Peabody Award in 2011 for a documentary on Somalia.

If convicted, the foreigners could face up to seven years in jail and the Egyptians 15.